Having exhausted all contacts, (okay, I asked one person I knew), I'm going under the assumption that what I got sent to me is actually a viral campaign for Target, because, well, THERE'S BIG RED LOGOS EVERYWHERE. I appreciate a good one-line gmail stealth campaign as much as the next person, but if this is actually for the retailer, an otherwise clever idea and simple execution of the awkward price proposition was absolutely wasted.

To go through the trouble of avoiding brand mentions but then give the idea away right as you enter the site seems like a waste. If this isn't for them? It's okay. I'm an ad blogger. Facts don't matter with us when compared to real journalists. Either way, it's still a whacked site and props to the creators.

Apparently London hates vanilla. (That's as far as I go with the references--for now.) The UK based Icecreamists have come out with the next step in custom ice cream evolution. Billed as natural Viagra, the ingredients are supposed to stimulate almost nealry closely as good as the little blue guy. The ice cream weapon of choice summons punk rock royalty too: The Sex Pistol. Other naming greatness from the group includes God Save The Cream.

While Steve's away playing at conferences, I debated running the latest nude Lego print ad from Istanbul--or chumming the waters and pissing off as many blogging groups as I can. What to do, what to do. *flips coin* Paid reviews and Mommy Bloggers it is!

To be fair, it's not just MBs, but any blogs where ads, promotions and reviews are involved. Then there's the issue of whether compensation affects objectivity or not. You can't discuss the topic of monitoring blogs for questionable things like hidden endorsements without also mentioning the groups most likely to warrant that increased scrutiny, namely, paid reviewers and... Mommy Bloggers.

According to the background, this pimple climbing wall in Israel which I will now lovingly call Mt. Zitmore, is supposed to get teen boys thinking about Clearex in a unique way. Hmmm. And here I thought the last thing teenage boys wanted to be reminded of were. the. zits. they. had. From Shalmor Avnon Amichay/Y&R Interactive in Tel Aviv. Look at interactive going experiential! Way to think outside the zit!

Cute dancing fingers and all, but Amtrak and Metro North riders will be drooling over the extra seats in this Publicis London spot for Hula Hoops. Okay, so maybe you have to hit Hostel country in Europe for that kind of ride. Check it out below...

First up, Art & Copy looks at... advertising. I haven't seen it yet but it's produced in conjunction with the One Show. From what I can tell by the trailer, it looks like it covers the usual topics and players relative to the business. (What, no George Parker?)

Next up is Marc Colucci's Lemonade, a look at people who were fired from agency jobs and who have now found new directions in life. Yea new things in life! It's an extension of the Please Feed The Animals blog. (Via AdPulp.)

Another older but still relevant look at the business is PBS' The Persuaders. Watch the whole thing online for free.

"The spots were created by full-service Hispanic marketing communications agency, Wing. In an effort to bring Downy Ultra's long-lasting scent properties to life, Wing developed and created a funny :30 spot, "Lavadero" or "Laundry" starring two Latino men in a laundromat. What takes place shows that Latino men buy Downy too, and can appreciate a lasting scent experience! The spots began airing last week on Telemundo, LATV and KMPX (Dallas)."

See, I knew there was something about Hispanic men who liked Downy. They're different than you and me. They appreciate a good joke and a good whiff. Smell for yourself after the jump...

Slow news day--don't hate. Chewed Slippers is the winning selection by Chunky in this contest to pick a website name from UK shop Nonsense. Check out the little fella after the jump. Whatever leg he humps? Winner! He even blogs and Twitters too.